More Than 300 People Flee Building Fire in South Korea

Hundreds of people were forced to flee a fire that broke out in an eight-story commercial building south of Seoul Friday afternoon, with video footage showing several people trapped on the roof waiting to be rescued.

Fire officials received reports of the fire around 4:40 p.m. in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and were at the scene within an hour, fire officials said. About 300 people were said to be in the building at the time of the blaze.

Responders said they had rescued 240 and another 70 people had evacuated from the building on their own. There were no deaths reported, but almost 30 people were hospitalized for minor injuries including smoke inhalation.

Footage from a local news channel shows the lower stories of the building engulfed in flames. Black smoke spewed upward from the windows and people gathered on the building’s roof awaiting rescue.

The officials said the fire broke on the first floor but have not yet revealed an official cause. The building has five underground stories.